Child Care Health Consultation (CCHC) Program

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The Child Care Health Consultation (CCHC) Program is a collaborative program between DESE's Office of Childhood and Local Public Health Agencies (LPHAs) throughout Missouri. The purpose of the program is to enhance child care health, mental health, safety, and wellness practices for child care providers, children age newborn to kindergarten entry enrolled in child care, and their families, through the implementation of CCHC Program services. Missouri’s LPHAs provide CCHC program services to child care providers and the children in their care at little or no cost to child care providers, therefore giving the opportunity for all child care providers to care for children in the safest and healthiest environments possible.

The CCHC Program enhances child care health and safety practices using Caring for Our Children National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs , which includes guidelines for the role of the Child Care Health Consultant, to ensure all children have the ability to thrive in safe and healthy child care environments.

The CCHC Program utilizes nurses and other professional staff at Missouri’s LPHAs to provide program services. Each LPHA designates a Registered Nurse to serve as the Primary Child Care Health Consultant to coordinate the program by working with other professional staff and local community subject matter experts to build a strong rapport with child care providers in their area. CCHC Program nurses and trainers work diligently to enhance the knowledge of child care providers, the children in their care, and their families regarding emerging and priority health issues. In doing so, they form one of the largest training and resource networks in Missouri.

How is the CCHC Program Funded?

The CCHC Program is funded in part by the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), a federal and state partnership program authorized under the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and administered by states, territories and tribes with funding and support from the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Child Care. States use CCDF to provide financial assistance to low-income families to access child care so they can work or attend a job training or educational program. In addition, states use the CCDF to invest in quality to benefit more children by building the skills and qualifications of the teacher workforce, supporting child care programs to achieve higher standards, and providing consumer education to help parents select child care that meets their families’ needs.

The CCHC Program is also funded in part by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Title V Maternal Child Health Services Block Grant. The Title V Maternal Child Health Services Block Grant is supported by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant #B04MC47428, Maternal and Child Health Services for $12,834,718, of which $0 is from nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
https://health.mo.gov/living/families/mch-block-grant/pdf/title-v-mch-publicity-statement.pdf

Who is eligible for CCHC Program services?

Child care providers, children in their care, and families of children in child care residing in a county who’s LPHA participates in the CCHC Program, or residing in a county whose neighboring LPHA has volunteered to provide CCHC Program services in the neighboring county.

Which LPHAs participate in the CCHC Program?

Child Care Health Consultation (CCHC) Map and Contact Information

Child Care Health Consultation brochure

Printable Child Care Health Consultation Program brochure

Which services are provided under the CCHC Program?

Health and Safety Consultation for child care providers to assist them in addressing health and safety issues in the child care setting.
Health Issue Trainings (Clock Hour Trainings) for child care providers to assist them in meeting annual clock hour training requirements and enhance their knowledge on health and safety topics in the child care setting.
Health Promotions for children in child care to provide a developmentally appropriate, fun, and engaging presentation on a health and safety topic, so that children may gain knowledge on specific health and safety objectives, and child care providers will learn methods for modeling and enforcing health and safety behaviors.
Family Members of children in child care are encouraged to participate in any CCHC Program service provided.

Which health and safety topics do CCHC Program services address?